Matt’s mom and sisters and I took to the streets of Halifax and had a girly day out. We started out at Luxx, which was FANTASTIC. We had some white wine and brunch/lunch food, and it was all so reasonably priced. I’m proud of my choice, as I had a baby spinach salad, and it was delicious, too!

After that we went and saw some homes that were decorated (inside) for Christmas. The first one was a bit lackluster but the other two were absolutely gorgeous. It definitely made for a wonderful day out. I’m glad I went!

Do you ever feel very blah? I do. It’s not necessarily when I’m in a bad mood, but rather when I just don’t feel like I’m at my best. I’ve found that doing things that make me feel pampered puts me in a good mood right away! Here are a few tips that I’ve come across that always make me feel more gorgeous and content.

• Paint your nails. Such a simple task, really - about five minutes and you’re done! Grab a shade of pink and go crazy. Of course, if you have a bit more time, take it a bit further and give yourself a full manicure! Videojug has a great tutorial for this! Have even more time? Give yourself a pedicure, too!
• Take a bubble bath. Showers and baths are something that really relax me, no matter how horrible I’m feeling that day. I usually take a very warm bath and use some bath salts (Green tea is the one I’m using now, and I love it!) and light some candles and/or incense. Then I just lay back and read. It’s my time away from the world and the water puts me completely at ease. This also softens your skin so you can do the next tip!
• Shave your legs. I don’t care how often you do it, because that’s none of my business. However, I do know that if you shave your legs (properly - not just a quick run over with the razor) you will feel feminine and beautiful. Well, at least that’s how it works for me. I know most people’s daily routine in the shower probably includes “run the razor over my legs so I don’t look like a wild animal”, however, this time, take the time to do it right. Soften your legs (with the aforementioned soak!), use shaving cream (or soap, if you have sensitive skin or problems with shaving cream) and run the razor over your legs until they feel completely silky smooth. Sometimes it takes more than once, and sometimes in more than one direction! After you get out of the tub, put on some moisturizer and rub it in completely. You’ll feel refreshed, and you’ll have a little piece of knowledge that nobody else knows - unless you walk around telling people “I shaved my legs today!”
• Match your bra and panties. Speaking of secrets that nobody knows, this is a big one. I’ve read it in multiple articles about confidence boosters, and it works! Knowing that your undergarments match makes you feel sexy and put-together, and being confident is well on your way to feeling glamorous!
• Tune out the world. Log out of those instant messengers! Close your email! Get off those social networking sites! Chances are, someone is bound to be negative, and you can’t be your best when you’re absorbing that negativity. Give yourself some time to just be you and live for you. The world will still be there when you get back, I promise!

Honestly, I’m sure there are millions of things that everyone who reads this can come up with that aren’t on this list. That isn’t the point, though! The point is, you deserve to feel glamorous. You deserve to be happy, healthy, content, and really proud of who you are. There’s nobody else in this world that is just like you. So smile! It’ll make the whole day look better - even if you just happen to catch a glimpse of your goofy fake-smile.

I like how I look in makeup. This is quite a big deal for me, because lately I’ve been using random body part photos for my 365Days Set.

For those who didn’t catch it, American Idol started tonight. The season is off to a very interesting start!

009/365

Originally uploaded by angelamaphone

Today was a relaxing day. I have a few things to do tomorrow on Matt’s day off that I’m not really looking forward to, so I made the most out of today.

Matt’s mom came home today with a surprise for us! A foam pad for our mattress (our mattress is really uncomfortable - you can feel the springs and wires when you lay on it) and new sheets! So I seized the opportunity to hop into bed!

I stayed in bed for a few hours watching a movie - Accepted. I really thought it’d be a kind of “meh” movie, since it seemed like stupid humour. Amazingly, it was very good! I was pleasantly surprised.

I’m exhausted and want to go to bed, like, hours ago. I had a fantastic evening, though. At around 10:00, Matt and I decided to go visit his brother John and his fiancee (my friend) Katie. Jane (Matt’s sister) was over there, too. We had some drinks, talked a bit, goofed around, ate some food, Matt played around on the computer with John. It was awesome. I told Matt we’ll have to do it more often, because we will! It was so nice to go and just hang out and socialize for a while!

The only down side to the night is that my tongue is swollen. I don’t know if it’s an allergic reaction or a swollen tastebud or what, but holy goodness does it hurt! It hurts to swallow, because of how my tongue moves, and it hurts to talk a bit, but not so much that it kept me from talking. Oh well, I guess we’ll see how it is in the morning!

Off to clean off the bed and hop in and get some much-needed rest!